USNH trustees have confidence in UNH president despite faculty vote

By RONI REINOrreino@fosters.com

Saturday

Apr 30, 2011 at 3:15 AM

DURHAM — Despite University of New Hampshire faculty's recent vote claiming they have lost confidence in their president, University System of New Hampshire (USNH) board of trustees have said they have full confidence in him.

On Thursday, USNH members unanimously passed a resolution expressing full confidence in UNH president Mark Huddleston. The vote comes on the coattails of a vote held by the UNH chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which voted 129-73 in favor of the "no confidence" vote."

AAUP-UNH president Deanna Wood said the members were allegedly insulted after hearing Huddleston's testimony on April 18 before the state Senate Finance Committee on behalf of the University of New Hampshire's budget.

The union is currently in the mist of conducting contract negotiations and USNH board of trustees recently rejected a fact-finding report where the AAUP had proposed a 12.5 percent increase over three years, with 1 percent of that being merit pay.

The university had proposed a 6.5 percent increase over the same period, with 4 percent merit pay.

Wood said the result of the union's vote shows the uncertainty the faculty feels toward the president's leadership for the university.

"What it means is we have a real problem here on campus," Wood said. "The president needs to take notice."

A statement from Huddleston Wednesday afternoon said the vote was a tactic that represented a level of frustration from the faculty about not having a contract. Huddleston said the school does want to be able to offer salary increases to faculty and staff, but also does not want to increase tuition.

The vote by the USNH board of trustees on Thursday was unanimously passed, saying members support Huddleston's leadership — specifically his effective advocacy for UNH, willingness to address head on the consequences of the state's fiscal crisis and the broader challenges facing higher education.

In a statement, the board of trustees reaffirmed its responsibilities and duties regarding the collective bargaining, saying it has the authority to set parameters for contract negotiations regarding salary increases and fringe benefits and can approve any decisions related to compensation and benefits for any faculty and staff in collective bargaining units.

The campus leadership does not have that authority.

"All of us who care about and who are advocates for the University System have a lot of hard work ahead of us in the state Legislature, and that's where our focus needs to remain," said USNH board of trustees chair in a statement. "There is not a moment to spare in making our case."

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